Song of the Day

Song of the Day > All Episodes

July 21, 2023

Alex Ward: “Blazing”

By: Jack Anderson

This past week we’ve praised those with consistent release schedules. But today’s spotlight takes it to a whole other level. See, Alex Ward‘s not only the bassist for acclaimed Austin punk rock outfit Animals on TV. He’s also amassed tons of solo tunes over the past decade and a half. The first phase of Ward’s discography came in 2018 and 2019, but as with countless others, hit a period of “radio silence” when the pandemic rolled on through. Well, unwilling to let this ever-growing treasure trove of tunes collect dust on his home hard drive, Alex picked up where he left off in February and went full speed ahead, dropping a new single every Friday, seemingly with no stop in sight. This impressive series spans far across a spectrum of genres, all the way from synth pop and ambient to hip-hop and indie rock, where Ward’s multidisciplinary talents shine over a myriad of production styles. And kudos to Alex for recognizing when a song simply doesn’t need vocals and entrusting the intrinsic power of a great instrumental, like the short-and-sweet but super badass “Blazing”, which just came out this morning. At just a hair over one minute, “Blazing”‘s oblique synth swells steer this vignette straight into electronic dance territory, grounded by some really tasty bass work, as is the standard for Ward.

Episodes

April 29, 2024

Trip Cigs: “Comeback Kid”

When a seasoned musician wades out of their genre comfort zone, you love to hear it. Because the technical expertise, jam stamina, and songwriting skills are already in place, but opening the gate to different inspirations and influences is always a welcome breath of fresh air. So let’s talk Rod Gator, who – as you […]

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April 24, 2024

Viben: “Pablo Picasso”

Lyrics are a fickle field. You can be wordy as hell, hoping that at least one line sticks in listener’s minds. Or, you could just loop the hell out of some barebones sentences – guaranteed to have a lot more hypnotic staying power through sheer repetition, especially in the realm of dance music. Now let’s […]

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April 24, 2024

Rett Smith: “Sunsets”

In terms of musical association, at least outside the world of film soundtracks, U.S. southwestern scenery often gets associated with country. But there’s a certain psychedelic quality to our regional deserts that we just love to see artists embrace. Folks like Rett Smith, based here in Austin, but bred out of West Texas, so you […]

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April 23, 2024

Ruel Thomas: “I Am Today”

Any profession requires quotas…whether that’s how many tickets you write or how many kids pass your class. And when music is your source of income, the obvious metric to measure by is quantity of shows played. But as with any creative endeavor, there’s an opportunity to move the needle in many directions, which makes “success” […]

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April 22, 2024

Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors: “Suffering”

The very nature of Americana is rooted in traditional music. But it also lies at the crossroads between folk, country, and rock. So if an Americana act decides to veer into new lanes, the choices are limited and somewhat predictable. And yet it’s still such a joy to hear an artist explore new sonic territory, […]

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April 19, 2024

Melotheory: “Breathe”

When you have roommates, at least good ones you get along with, group activities naturally arise around the house. For most folks, it’s watching TV, recreational smoking and drinking, or maybe the occasional board game. For musicians, however, having a practice space within eyeshot of your bedroom door is too good of a scenario to […]

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April 17, 2024

Rhythm&Truth and Sakari: “Bring It All Back”

We won’t say that successful collaborations should mandate a solo artist’s trajectory. But if something built together leaves people wanting more, it’s not a bad idea to get back together and sate those desires, right? Because what’s unachievable on the individual level often just needs to get catalyzed by some good collabo chemistry. So let’s […]

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April 17, 2024

Myia Thornton: “Never Good 4 Me”

Unlike the legendary machines of Stax and Motown who relied on a ton of well oiled cogs to make any R&B singer into a star, these days the new blood has to do everything themselves, talent agent or not. And while not everyone can be Prince or D’Angelo in terms of multi-instrumental discipline, bringing something […]

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